In the highland communities of Chiapas, where the mountains are steep and the roads narrow, around 550,000 people speak Tsotsil. It is a language of the Mayan family, older than the Spanish colonization, older than the borders of modern Mexico. When a Tsotsil speaker greets another, they do not ask “How are you?” but inquire about the state of one’s heart. The language carries a worldview within it that exists in no Spanish dictionary.
But Tsotsil is under threat. Not by prohibition, but by invisibility. Schools teach in Spanish. Official forms are in Spanish. The economy runs in Spanish. Those who cannot speak Spanish are excluded. Those who learn Spanish often forget Tsotsil. It is a quiet disappearance that unfolds across generations.
At the Tec de Monterrey, a research team led by Alejandro Martín del Campo is working on a solution designed to break this cycle. They are developing a bilingual literacy platform powered by artificial intelligence that functions without an internet connection. This is critical, because in the mountain villages of Chiapas, there is often no mobile signal and no Wi-Fi.
The platform can do four things: it translates bidirectionally between Tsotsil and Spanish. It transcribes spoken language to text. It converts text to speech with the accent and intonation of a native speaker. And it runs on ordinary mobile phones and school computers, even offline.
Behind the seemingly simple interface lies a complex architecture. At least four different AI models based on neural networks process the language. The team comprises educators who design learning pathways and materials, and technologists who build the platform and integrate the AI. Additionally, speakers and community members from Tsotsil villages work on linguistic validation.
The project is embedded within the “Chiapas Puede” program, which is also covered in this edition. Through a cooperation agreement between the Tec de Monterrey and the state government of Chiapas, the team has access to communities and can use the existing infrastructure of educational centers. In approximately eighteen months, the platform is expected to have completed its pilot phase and be deployed in real-world literacy settings.
What sets this project apart from many technology initiatives is its direction. Here, AI is not being used to speed up processes or reduce costs. It is being used to preserve a language that half a million people still speak. To enable children to learn in their mother tongue before they learn Spanish. To ensure that the heart-asking of Tsotsil does not fall silent.
Alejandro Martín del Campo puts it in a single thought: technology is often deployed in big cities, but when it is applied to community-focused and social issues, that is when its true impact becomes clear.
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